Jet flow rudder



Get. 4, 1949. HE 2,483,675

JET FLOW RUDDER Filed June 21, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l ll Ill!!! Get. 4,19490 G. e. SHELDON 2,483,675

JET FLOW RUDDER Filed June 21, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 4,1949 pmrsp STA ES TEN T O FFII'CL E My "present invention relates toimprovements in jet flow =rudders in which-a propeller in conjunctionwith --a pairof oppositely concave concave-convex plate members forsteering marine craft such as power dri-ven *boats and hereinafterreferred to as power driven boats; and the objects er improvement are:First, to provide a jet 'fl'ow rudder for power driven boats thatwill-'have-greater steeringefiiciency than rudders heretofore employed;second, "to provide a jet ilowrudder for p'owerdr-iv'en boats thatprotect the propeller against damage by snags, drift wood, ice and othertotally or partly emersed solids; third, to provide "a jet flow rudderfor power driven boat'sthatwil-l turn the craft in a smaller "radiusthan the blade rudders usually employed for turning n'ia-rine craft;fourth, to provide a rudder for power driven boats that will minimizeturbulence in the water in which the craft is inding propelled; fifth,to provide a rudder for power driven boats that will protect thepropeller 'o'i power driven marine craft; sixth, to provide "a jet flowrudder for power driven boats that will project the flow of water at anangle to the course "of the marine craft; seventh, to provide a =jetflow rudder for power driven boats that will be substantially free fromdisorder; eighth, to provide a jet flow rudder for power driven boatsthat will minimize the rotatable whirl of the water passing through therudder; ninth, to provide a jet flow rudder for power driven boats thatwill be easily unders'too'dj tenth, to provide "a jet flow rudder thatcan be applied to marine craft of substantially all types.

I attain the a-fore named objects and 'such other objects as appear bythe structure illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1is a cross sectional view of the after portion of power driven boat ofthe yacht type equipped with my present jet "flow rudder.

Figure 2, an elevation part sectional view of the power driven boatequipped with my jet flow rudder.

Figure #3, a top plan viewof the jet flow rudder removed from the boatand with the mechanism in straight ahead steering of a power drivenboat.

Figure 4, a top plan view of the jet flow rudder removed from the boatand with its mechanism in turning of the power driven boat.

Throughout the several views of the said drawing, similar numerals referto similar parts and portions of a jet flow rudder and boat to which therudder is associated, and referring thereto:

Numeral 1 refers to 'the'boat which, as shown, is of the yacht typehaving a slight V under iorm transom, 2 the sides of the boat which hasa keel 3 and keel-son 4 with skeg 5 extending downward from the keel andrudder supporting shoe (Cl. I'M- 166) 2 6 secured to the bottom of theskeg. Numeral i refers to the propeller'for driving-th'e'b'oat and whichis mounted on a propeller shaft 8 near its free end which is farthestfrom the skeg 5 -5 supportingsternbearing 9 of the'propeller shaft.

The rudderand its-operating mechanism consists of port'sideconcavo-convex water deflecting plate i ha-Vingat its top edge inwardlyturned longitudinally extending flange -'H and adjacent the said flangeii, -a rudder turning post l2 extending upward through the keel 3,keel-son 4 and a rudder post bearing housing 13 with a rudder turnin armM fastened thereto at its upper end; the rudder turning arm hasswingabie attached theretoat its swingable end l a link it from whichextends a cable l'i toward and-along the port side of the boat with-thepurpose "of steering the boat from the said port side. Theconcavo-convex plate It has at its lower edge outwardly turnedlongitudinally extending flange 58 and adjacent the said flange t8,rudder swivel post it extending into and through the rudder supportingshoe 6 with pin 2:: engaging the post in an annular groove cit-- tendingaround the -post within the rudder supporting shoe 6. Numeral ill refersto a second or starboard side -concavo-convex water deflecting platewhich is similar to the port side concave-convex water deflecting plateIn and differing therefrom only in that at its upper edge it hasoutwardly 'turned longitudinally extending fia'nge 2i and-adjacent thesaid flange 2| rudder turning post 22 extending upward through theaforesaid keel 3, keel-son 4 and rudder post bearin housing I3 withrudder turning ar-rn 23 "fastened thereto with the aforesaid link Itswing'able attached thereto and having cable M extending therefromtowards the starboard side of the boat and along said starboard sidetowardsthe front or prowoi the boat and 'Whe re'the cables I1 and H mayunite and form a continuous cable by which to steer the boat.

The concavo-conv'ex water deflecting plate Ill 45 has at "its lower edgean inwardly turned longitudinally extending flange 24 and adjacent thesaid flange, r'ud'der swivel post 25 extending into and through therudder supporting shoe 6 with pin '25 engaging the post in an annulargroove extending around the post within the rudder supporting shoe "6.

Extending iongitudinally of each concavo-convex water deflecting plateIt and II) at their periphery are fin like members 21 against a side ofwhich the water impinges as the boat moves either forward or backwardthereby assisting steering of the boat, also at the inner 'c'onc'a'v'esides of the 'concavo-convex water deflecting plates l0 and H! andextending from the ends of 59 the plates are water training plates 28whereby the water forced by the propeller 1 through the cylindricalopening between the concavo-convex plates is trained to the directionthe rudder is turned to.

Arrows 3!! designate the flow of water drawn into the cylindrical spacebetween the concaveconvex plates Ill and II) by the propeller I andthrough which space the water flows in the direction the rudder isturned and from which space the water is projected in a cylindricalcolumn or jet in the direction indicated by arrows 3i which as shown inFigure 3 as directly aft of the boat and in Figure 4 as directed towardsthe starboard side of the boat for turning the boat to starboard. Thefin like members 27 assisting in turning the boat as also the trainingplates 28 which prevent the column or jet of water flowing from therudder to be trained directly aft of the boat.

In the operation of the present jet flow rudder when applied to a powerdriven boat having a propeller mounted as shown in the drawing androtated in the direction of its screw pitch by motive power, whensteering straight forward, the rudder is set to the position shown inFigures 1, 2 and 3 by the link I6 and arms l4 and 23 attached to therudder posts 12 and 22, and when it is desired to turn or swing the boatto port, or to starboard as shown in Figure 4, the rudder is turned bysaid link It, arms 14 and 23, as shown in Figure 4, in which positionthe water flowing through the rudder will be deflected to starboard ofthe boat and fiow from the rudder in the direction indicated by arrows3i shown in Figure 4 and thereby with the assistance of the fin likemembers, turn or swing the boat to starboard. When it is desired to turnor swing the boat to port, the link it and arms 54 and 23 are swungtowards the starboard side of the boat which will swing theconcavo-convex plates towards the port side of the boat and the boatwill be turned to port, the said turning may be accomplished by thecable El adapted to extend in a loop within the boat. The present jetflow rudder is equally adapted for backing of the boat in which therudder is turned to the opposite angle than that shown in Figure 4.

Having described and illustrated my present invention, the rightsthereto I desire to obtain by Letters Patent are:

1. In a rudder of the class described, the combination with a powerdriven boat having a skeg with a rudder shoe fastened to its under sideand extending therefrom and a propeller shaft extending from the skegwith a screw propeller mounted on the shaft: a pair of concavo-convexelongated plates in spaced apart relation with their concave side facingeach other and 2. turned flange extending longitudinally of each plateand extending over the edge of the adjacent plate and fin like membersextending longitudinally of the plate at its periphery and a watertraining plate within to concave of the plate and extending therefromaway from the propeller and each plate having a swivel post engaging therudder shoe and a rudder post extending upward with a steering armfastened to the rudder post and having a link turnably connected to eachsteering arm and adapted to have connected thereto a cable for swingingthe said arms in substantially parallel relation to each other.

2. In a rudder of the class described, the combination with a powerdriven boat having a skeg with a rudder shoe fastened to its under sideand extending therefrom and a propeller shaft extending from the skegwith a screw propeller mounted on the shaft: 2. pair or concavo-convexelongated plates in spaced apart relation with their concave side facingeach other and a water training plate within to concave of the plate andextending therefrom away from the propeller and each plate having arudder post extending upward with a steering arm fastened to the rudderpost and having a link turnably connected to each steering arm andadapted to swing the said arms in substantially parallel relation toeach other.

3. In a rudder of the class described, the combination with a powerdriven boat having a skeg with a rudder shoe fastened to its under sideand extending therefrom and a propeller shaft extending from the skegwith a screw propeller mounted on the shaft: a pair of concave-convexelongated plates in spaced apart relation with their concave side facingeach other and a turned flange extending longitudinally of each plateand extending over the edge of the adjacent plate each having a swivelpost engaging the rudder shoe and a rudder post extending upward with asteering arm fastened to the rudder post and having a link turnablyconnected to each steering arm and adapted to have connected thereto acable for swinging the said arms in substantially parallel relation toeach other.

4. In a rudder of the class described, the combination with a powerdriven boat having a skeg with a propeller shaft extending from the skegwith a screw propeller mounted on the shaft: a pair of concavo-convexelongated plates in spaced apart relation with their concave side facingeach other and a rudder post extending upward from each of the plateswith a steering arm fastened to each rudder post and having a linkturnably connected to the steering arm of each rudder post and adaptedto have connected thereto a cable for swinging the said arms insubstantially parallel relation to each other.

5. In a power driven boat having a rearwardly directed propeller, thecombination of, a pair of concavo-convex plates in spaced apart relationfacing each other each having an offset flange overlapping each other atadjacent edges of the plates, a water training plate secured within theconcave of each plate extending axially thereof, each plate attachednear its forward end on a vertically pivoted post and means for rotatingeach post simultaneously in the same direction.

pivot and means for rotating the plate simultaneously in the samedirection.

GARNETT G. SHELDON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,186,210 Kitchen et a1 June 6,1916 2,139,594 Kort Dec. 6, 1938

